Portable chess or checkerboard with game piece retaining means



wARDs 2454,639 CHEGKER EGARD WITH GAME PIECE RETAINING MEANS Nov. 23, 194s.l

PORTABLE '2 SheetsrSheet 1 Filed April 2, 1946 Il Il 'Il l lllllllllllllllllllllllllll l- -Nov.,23, 194s. f

R. w. EDWARDS 2,454,639 PORTABLE CHESS OR CHECKER BOARD WITH GAME PIECE RETAINING MEANS FiiedApril 2, 194e a Sheets-'sheet 2 4free/vifs Patented Nov. 23, 1948 TQRTABLE 4.CITIES-S OR CHECKERBOARD WITH 'GAME PIECE RETAINING MEANS Raymond William Edwards, Mangotsfield, England Application April 2, 1946, Serial No. `658,971 In Great Britain YDecember 16, 1944 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires December 16, 1964 v 2 -Claims.

This invention concerns improvements in .or relating to board `or `the like games which are played with pieces movable to predetermined positions upon the board.

This invention 'has `for its object .to provide a board and pieces in combination therewith which is compact and therefore .capable .of being `carried by the player without inconvenience vand without the lpieces Aon the .board being disturbed.

Another object-is to Aprov-ide a board and pieces whereby the latter may lbe locked to the former in a simple and effective manner.

Another object is -to provide means for locking the pieces l.to the board which will enable all the piecesA standing `thereon to be simultaneously locked thereto land released therefrom. `Such locking means is `particu'larly advantageous in socalled pocket sets of chess or draughts since in this way the game `may be stopped and the pieces xed in position on the board until the game is subsequently resumed.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a case which encloses a .chess board and pieces in accordance with `the invention,

Figure 2 is a .section on the line II-II of Figure 1,

Figure 43 4is a .plan view oi the case which encloses the board, the case being partly broken away to expose .the :board and the locking means for retaining vthe pieces thereon,

Figure 4 is a part sectionaldetail of the board to an enlarged scale and showing .the construction of two of the pieces, and

Figures 5 and 6 are side views of a modified construction of case which is adapted to ensure that the pieces are automatically locked to the board when the case is closed.

Referring to Figure 1, the case 5 comprises a base portion 6 and a lid I hinged together as at 8. A catch 9 is provided to lock the lid in its closed position. When the case 5 is opened a plate I Il is exposed to view and ready access to it is obtained since the lid is pivotally movable from its closed position through 180.

The plate I0 is divided into three sections: a central portion I I which constitutes the chess board and two lateral portions I2 which are adapted to receive the pieces which are not in play. For convenience only one such lateral portion I2 is shown in Figure 3 but it will be appreciated that a similar portion is provided at the other end ofthe plate I0. The board I I is divided into squares L3 each of which is .formed with a hole I4 the purpose of which will be hereinafter described. The plate II) extends from endto end of the base :6 and is secured thereto by .screws i5 so that it is incapable of movement relatively to the base. The screws are received by collars IB which are attachedto the base 6 as by soldering, brazing or the like. As is clear from Figure 2 the plate I0 is supported on collars I6 vin spaced relationship to the bottom of the base 6.

A plate .II is supported by guide rails vIB so as to maintain vit in engagement with the under face of plate I0. The rails I8 are soldered or brazed to plate I I which is provided with slots I9 t0 accommodate the ,collars -I 6 whereby vthe latter pass through the plate I'I to engage the plate I0. As shown in Figures the plate I1 is shorter thanthe plate L0 so that its ends :are spaced from the upswept edge of :base `6.

The 4plate I] is .provided `with a lplurality of key-hole openings 20 .each of which is associated with one of 'the holes I4 of plate III. A slot 2| in each side of the .base 6 permits a lug 22 of the plate I'I to pass through the case L5.. vThe lugs :22 are turned upwardly towards `lid 1 and are adapted whenthe ycase .isclosed to l-ie within recesses 23 :formed one on each side of the lid.

`'xlhe :plate `IJ is movable inthe direction of the long :axis of rails I8 by lugs l22 so that it `assumes either of two position in one of which the hole Zlla `of `the :keyf-hole .openings lies immediately below the holes ,I4 in Yplate III. In the other position the `slot `2111) lies below the holes I4.

The :pieces ,21 are all `formed with .a Vbase 24 (see .Figure 4') `a pin ..25 projecting therefrom and a flange 26. The diameter of the latter is such that when the piece is placed on a square I3 it will pass through holes I4 and 20a. The diameter of the pin 25 enables it to lie within slot 20h.

It will he appreciated that when plate I'I is set to bring holes 20a into alignment with holes I4 the pieces may be placed on and removed from the board I I or portions I2 at will since the flange 26 freely passes through Jthe aligned holes.

When the plate I1 is set to bring slots 2|Jb below the holes I4, the slots will engage pins 25 of the pieces 21 which rest on the board when the plate I1 is so set. The flanges 26 lie below plate I 'I and being of greater diameter than slots 20h prevent the pieces being removed from the board II or portions I2. The pieces are then locked to the plate I0.

A particular advantage of the locking means described is that all the pieces standing on the plate I are simultaneously locked thereto or r-eleased therefrom by a single operationthat of sli-ding -the locking plate I1 relative tothe plate l0. Moreover whilst the pl-ate Il remains in the unlocked position the pieces 2l' standing on plate lll are easily and readily movable on the board.

The movement of the plate l1 is such that the lugs 22 are out of alignment with recesses 23 when the plate Il is in its unlocked position thereby preventing the lid l from being closed. This feature is `clearly shown in Figure 1 in which `the lug 22 is indicated in .chain dotted lines in the position which Kit `assumes when plate l1 is in its unlocked positi-on and it will be noted that one edge of the recess, 23 will engage with the upper end of lug 22 =to prevent closure of the lid. It is therefore ensured that the case may only be closed when the plate Il is moved to the locked position to bring the lugs 22 into alignment with recesses 23.

In an alternative arrangement shown in Figures and 6 the recess 23 is formed at one edge with an outwardly projecting ear 28 which is inclined with reference to the lengthwise extension of the case. The lug 22 is formed with a 4correspondingly inclined portion 29, the arrangement lbeing that upon the l'id l being closed whilst the plate I1 is in its unlocked position the ear 28 engages the face 29 and during lthe iinal closing stages of the lid the plate Il is automatically moved to its locking position. With this arrangement opening ofthe lid does n-ot actuate the plate Il, this being manually performed by lugs 22 after the case has been opened.

In yet another .arrangement the lid 'l is conn nected with the movable plate Il by means which ensures that when the former is opened the plate is automatically moved to its unlocking position and when it is `closed the plate is automatically moved to its locking position. The means referred to may comprise a simple lever system conu nected on the one hand to the lid 1 and on the other hand to the plate Il.

I claim:

1. A device for playing a checker or the like game comprising a base, a game board having positions of play with openings therethrough, a slide pla-te having a plurality of key-hole slots consisting of larger and smaller width openings therethrough, .a plurality of narrow horizontally spaced apart runners carried by the base of said slide plate and spaced between the key-hole slots in s-aid slide plate, said runners raising said slide support above said base and providing a space between said slide plate and base and between adjacent runners, support means rigid with said base and said game board for securing said game board against movement, a plurality of checker or chess game pieces, pins extending downwardly from the base of said game pieces the diameter of said pins being slightly less than the smaller width openings of said key-hole slots and said pins having flanges at their free ends the diameter of which is materially in excess of the smaller wid-th openings of said key-hole slots, said game pieces adapted to be placed on said board w-th said pins and flanges receivable through said openings in said game board and through the larger -diameter openings of said slide plate, and va hand hold for shifting said slide plate for placing the larger diameter openings of the key-hole slots `in said slide plate in registry with the openings in said board to permit passage of the pins and anges of said game pieces therethrough upon movement in one direction `an-d for locking said game pieces to said board and retaining the flange-s beneath the smaller wid-th openings of said slide plate in said space upon movement in an opposite direction, said base being in the form of a receptacle having a bottom and upstanding side walls with a hinged cover having downwardly depending side walls, one complemental pair of side walls being partially cut away to receive, when Ithe cover is in the operative position, the hand hold and that said hand hold forms a lug, one end of which is attached to said slide plate and the other end of which is free for hand operation.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein mutually vco--a'cting means is carried by the cover of said receptacle and said lug whereby upon c10- sure of the cover of said receptacle said lug is slid in a direction locking ythe game pieces to the board.

RAYMOND WILLIAM EDWARDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Australia Aug. 10, 1939 

